Miyuki woke up to the sound of boots walking down the halls to their cells. She didn't have to look up to know who it was as he stood outside their cell, his shadow casts on the ground, barely reaching her.

Kei was curled up beside her with Akira wrapped against her chest. Miyuki smiled, before pushing herself up to walk over to Eiichi, bars separating them.

"Why were you and Kei outside your room?" he asked, his tone monotonous. Miyuki kept her gaze on the bars between them.

"Kankuro offered us a tour," she answers with the same tone. Eiichi snorts before a hand grips Miyuki's hair, pulling her harshly against the bar cells. She lets out a breath, as tears well up in her eyes from the shock. She feels his breath against the side of her face as her nails dig into her skin.

"Kankuro offered you a tour," he mocks her, pulling her hair and making her strain her neck in an almost impossible angle. "Do not forget why you are here, Miyuki. I want him dead."

For a moment, she considers snapping his neck. To use the same power she had, that he revels in, to twist and torture him for the fun of it. Watch him beg like so many before. Watch what fear can do to a person. Instead, she tells him what she has been thinking about since the performance.

"There is a powerful person here in the village right now," she begins, remembering how that power hummed through her veins when she had performed. "I believe he has a tailed beast inside him, one whose chakra has mingled with his." When he doesn't speak, Miyuki thought he was thinking but after another pull at her hair, she realized he was angry.

"It is not the Kazekage?" he asks as Miyuki thought very well of the next few words from her mouth.

"No."

Eiichi lets out a breath. This was something unexpected. Something that could ruin the whole plan.

"We stick to the plan," he says then, releasing her as she steps back, her eyes trained on him. He holds her gaze for a few moments before looking away, a silent fear cracking through his mask. It was only a moment, but Miyuki felt thrilled by it. He was afraid of her. When he turned to face her again, there was the same expression he often used on her. Reminding her why she can never use her power against him, lest she wanted everyone else to die.

"There is also a Hyuuga in the village," he continues as he steps back from the cage. "Stay away from her."

Miyuki gives a brief nod. Her thoughts hovering over telling him about her moment with the Kazekage or not. Eiichi walked away without so much of a glance back as Miyuki reached to touch her cheek. It will bruise, she was sure of it. She lets out a breath before walking back towards Kei and Akira who looked like the safest place she could curl up in. Instead, she walked two steps away and collapsed against the wall, her eyes towards the only window. At least she was allowed the view of the moon. That silver light of a thing, against a black canvass. So free, and yet so bounded to the sky.

When she awoke again, she was surprised to find Kei and Akira eating from silver bowls and plates. When Akira noticed Miyuki she handed her a piece of soft bread.

"Kankuro had brought it over a while ago," Kei had explained as she helped herself to some fresh berries from the bowl, relishing the taste of it in her mouth with a hum. Miyuki couldn't help but smile.

"If this is what they feed their prisoners," Akira started, enjoying a mouthful of what Miyuki considered as porridge. "I think I will go explore more forbidden places."

Miyuki scoots over closer to them, biting into a piece of bread and looking over at Kei with a sly grin. "I think this has less to do with how they treat their prisoners and more with who the prisoners are."

Kei turns red at her implication and throws a berry my way, earning a shocked look from Akira who went on about wasting food.

"We have only known each other for two days," Kei states calmly as she picks at another berry. Miyuki raises an eyebrow at her but before she could fling it at her though, the sound of keys rattling makes them turn around to find a guard opening their cellar door. Miyuki frowns before Kei had thrown a berry smack right on her forehead, she snapped back from the attack as Akira quickly skidded beside her, a blindfold in her hand.

The guard opens the cell, barely acknowledging them as he pointed at Miyuki who was flimsily trying to tie her blindfold on.

"You," the guard said now and quickly added. "With the white hair- the Kazekage would like to speak with you in his office."

Miyuki felt a small strange tingle on the back of her neck. She wondered for a moment what that was, if it was fear or - no, she should not be thinking about the other thing. Yet it still flickered behind her thoughts. Giddiness.

Kei stared at the guard as Miyuki got up. Before Kei could pretend to assist her the guard had already walked the space and had held on to Miyuki's shoulder. Kei sat back down, watching Miyuki and the guard walk out the cell.

"I'll see you later," Miyuki managed to say and laughed to herself. Even the guard managed a smile at the words. Kei sat back down as Akira crawled up to her.

"What does the Kazekage want with Miyuki?" Akira had asked then, still staring at the closed cell door.

"I have no idea," Kei replied honestly, but something in her gut told her it had something to do with Miyuki's careless mistakes these past few days. The way she had openly touched the Kazekage, as if on impulse she needed to keep him out of danger. Perhaps the Kazekage was suspicious...that was why he went to her that time in the play pen. As these thoughts swirled inside her mind, she kept remembering how the Kazekage acted with Akira. It eased her a bit, to know the Kazekage was kind. She just hoped Miyuki won't make anymore mistakes. She hated what her friend had to do, but hated it more when Miyuki got punished for not being able to do it. But, Miyuki never failed.

The guard lead Miyuki up and through winding halls. At least that was how she pictured it. With the blindfold on, she could only make out chakra and the shapes of people who possess them. She let the guard lead, without a single fuss and suddenly they came to a halt. She noticed the strands of Gaara's chakra around them. Why were his chakra everywhere?

She heard the guard knock before she was gently ushered inside. She tried not to react, seeing three different chakra's in the room. Gaara was not alone.

"Thank you," his voice was not warm as he dismissed the guard. Miyuki heard the door close behind her. She stood perfectly still, her eyes trained on the ground. She could feel his eyes on her, tempting her to look up and meet them but she forced her head down, waiting to be addressed.

"Take off the blind fold," Gaara suddenly asked. There was warmth in his voice now but it sent a chill down her spine. Was he going to interrogate her? She should have just killed him when she had the chance. That time when they were alone. How could she have been so stupid? So careless-

"Please," he added. "I promise, it'll be okay."

Miyuki hears someone shift from one foot to another before she allowed herself to raise her head, seeing the familiar chakra of Kankuro and the other person who was always with Gaara too. She clasped her hands.

"Why?" she asked, and hated how her voice sounded. She sounded nervous. Could she take down three of them? She could just kill Gaara and try to survive the fight after but...that would be stupid. Eiichi would be left with the girls... no. She can't die.

"I've decided to trust you," his voice answered. He stands, going around what Miyuki had assumed was a table and stopped a few steps away from her. It would be so easy. His chakra is around the room, she could easily weave them to kill him. She unclasps her hands.

"I need them to trust you too," he says quietly this time. Miyuki raises her hands slowly, observing how Gaara's chakra remained calm as opposed to the other two with him. Do it. She lets out a breath and pulls on the loose blind fold before letting it fall on the ground.

She could feel her heart hammering in her chest, her eyes closed. Then slowly, she began to pry them open. Squinting and focusing on the waves of red hair before her. She heard someone try to hide a gasp but her focus was on Gaara.

I've decided to trust you. Why would you do such a thing? Miyuki could not help but wonder.

Kankuro let out a soft whistle as Temari adjusted her fan. Miyuki kept her eyes straight, just as Gaara had kept his eyes on her. He wants you to look at him. She met his gaze, and again, found no fear- no questions. Just understanding. She felt something in her chest clench uncomfortably, though she had to hide it.

Temari sighed, closing her eyes and finally understanding why Gaara was so bent on convincing them to at least trust Miyuki as they still had reservations for Eiichi. The girls were somehow prisoners, and they had to find the root of it. Hinata had agreed to keep an eye on Eiichi and the other girls, and Naruto had agreed to stay until it was over, despite the two of them not knowing what Gaara was on about.

"Alright," she said finally. "I trust your judgement, Gaara. And Miyuki, you have no reason to hide that. No reason at all. If there is one thing we have learned in life in Suna, is that being or looking different has nothing to do with who you are as a person."

"But I have to ask," Temari starts, her tone turning serious. "Why go through all the trouble pretending to be blind when you could have just told us the truth from the beginning?"

"I didn't...I-," Miyuki begins, her mind failing to aid her with a lie.

"You didn't like to go through it again," Gaara had answered for her, she looked at him, but he was looking at something behind her. Something far. Like a memory. Temari visibly softens, smiling slightly before shrugging.

"Well, it can't be helped," she says finally as Kankuro kept his eyes glue on Miyuki. He flinched slightly when Miyuki turned to him but felt relieved when she had smiled at him.

"Kei is not very fond of people staring," she says with a slight tease. "She finds it quite rude."

"Sorry," he says, flusterred. "Please don't tell her."

Miyuki laughs. That rich tone bringing Gaara back to the present.

"I won't, if you bring her enough berries," she replies kindly before Temari bursts into a frenzy of questions about flirting with prisoners. For a moment, Gaara and Miyuki were alone.

"I am sorry if I made you feel like I trapped you into this," he says suddenly. His tone was monotonous, his expression stoic yet Miyuki tilted her head as if trying to decipher it. Then she smiled, making Gaara realize he needed it to feel relieved. He didn't want her thinking he had betrayed her somehow.

"It's alright," she replies. "You had every reason to." She glances behind him to Temari and Kankuro still bickering. Gaara was still staring at her when she met his gaze before her eyes traveled upwards to the symbol on the right of his forehead. Are you trying to make it difficult to kill you, Kazekage? She thought. Or am I to blame for such burden on myself?

Love.

Miyuki hid her scoff at the word and thought , I hope that is enough to save you, Kazekage. For it is only known as one word, in my life. And that is betrayal.

"I have decided to trust you too," she finally says, tasting the lie on her lips. Although, for the first time in years, she doubted the bitterness of it.

Gaara's lips curled slightly, at what Miyuki had assumed was a smile although she could not be sure. Then his expression changed.

"What happened to your cheek?" he had asked so suddenly, Miyuki was even surprised she had forgotten about Eiichi's visit last night. Her hand went instinctively to her cheek, feeling an all too unfamiliar heat rising up her neck.

"I fell," she hated how lame that reason sounded as Gaara looked like he was about to argue. Why did he care so much? The discomfort Miyuki felt flared into something close to anger. "I should get back to our cell, Kei would be worried." she added quickly, earning Kankuro's full attention.

"I'll take her back, Gaara." He says, picking up the discarded blindfold and handing it back to Miyuki.

They were halfway out the door when Gaara spoke again, this time his voice was almost too soft for someone who held so much power. It was enough for only Miyuki to hear, but the words seemed too loud even after she closed the door behind her. She gripped her blindfold tight.

"You're a terrible liar."

She tied the blindfold on, explaining to Kankuro she had to because her eyes were sometimes to sensitive to the light of the sun. Kankuro had accepted her reason without so much of a fuss.

Miyuki could still feel her heart hammering in her chest when she was ushered inside the cell and Akira had jumped up to meet her. Kei's voice was muffled as she talked to Kankuro. With one hand on her cheek, Miyuki sat back down as the Kazekage's words echoed inside her head.

It did not sound like an accusation. In fact, it was merely an observation on his part but Miyuki was almost terrified of it.

He could read her.

This was going to be more difficult than she had first thought.